


Hold Me Back

by heart_full_of_magic



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: (not like that), (soon), Andreas is a dick, Angst, Arguments, Description of Choking, F/M, Fighting, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Introspection, Light Angst, Protective Ben Harvey, Protective Farah Dowling, Protective Saul Silva, Rosalind is tough, Silrah - Freeform, Soldiers, Swords, Whump, batallion, doubting, guess who's back (it's me)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29058639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heart_full_of_magic/pseuds/heart_full_of_magic
Summary: “Do you remember how well-trained we were? Rosalind-”“Put us through hell. I’ve still got the scars.”A look at Rosalind's evolving training methods, and a test the Light Battalion almost did not pass.
Relationships: Farah Dowling & Ben Harvey, Farah Dowling & Ben Harvey & Saul Silva, Farah Dowling & Rosalind, Farah Dowling & Saul Silva & Ben "Harvey" Harvinder & Andreas, Farah Dowling/Saul Silva, Silrah - Relationship
Comments: 36
Kudos: 144





	1. The Test

**Author's Note:**

> \- there's some Bond discussion in here that i'm still playing around with. are they soulmates? no not really. but it is fate. (get it?)  
> \- little words mean a lot to me while writing… hopefully someone catches a little sentence I’ve taken and modified from my previous works :)  
> \- the title is a work in progress, i'm not the biggest fan of it  
> \- also, were they officially called the Light Batallion? i'm not sure if i got that canonically from the show or if it was from a fic. if anyone knows please comment!
> 
> hope you enjoy <3

She should’ve known something was amiss from the moment she was paired with Andreas and not Saul or Ben.

She shouldn’t have been surprised she wasn’t paired with Saul-- after all, Rosalind hadn’t been born yesterday, and she knew more than she let on. The subtle glances, the raised eyebrow, the hidden smiles, the fleeting touches. She had probably put it together before they had, really. Farah was slightly annoyed that she hadn’t pointed out the fact that they were bonded earlier. It might’ve saved them some precious time.

Time was a luxury when you were one of Rosalind’s soldiers. It was a luxury that Farah didn’t have anymore. Her days were almost entirely spent with Rosalind, save for the small respites she got for a few hours each night. Her days no longer belonged to her. She didn’t really know when she’d become consumed by the older woman, but a deep part of her could tell that it had been happening for a while. 

Thankfully, their training program had been modified ever since the Solarian army had defeated a large hoard of Burned Ones by the shores. Rosalind had been as close to giddy as the old woman could be, and had changed her training program to accommodate for teams. Teams, she said, were invaluable. They were more powerful than any individual, no matter their magic. If one had a well-trained, trusting, functioning team, then one had everything. For the very first team to run through a simulation, Rosalind had resorted to her old favorite students (or, as the others called them, “the ones who hadn’t died off yet”). They would be the first group of students to run through these programmed battles and test their abilities together. Previously, it had been designed for a single student to test their individual ability against the Burned Ones. Rosalind would evaluate their performance and then proceed with their training from there. Farah had initially been relieved for the change. It would allow her a chance to see her friends for more than a few short moments at night, and it might even improve her abilities. For the first time since leaving Alfea, she was excited to begin training.

That excitement did not last.

Rosalind loved to test them, push them against their perceived limits, and she would go as far as to infuse her own magic into the field while their simulation was running. That resulted in larger, more powerful monsters, and more effort needed to defeat them. In the beginning, when they worked as a group of four, Ben would come away from almost every session with red eyes and a bleeding nose. Andreas turned recklessly courageous, unused to working in teams, and injured himself while trying unnecessarily hard to defeat multiple monsters on his own. Farah had been on the receiving end of multiple migraines, the products of overexertion and being thrown against trees more often than she’d like. Saul would always resort to using his own body as a shield (much to the chagrin of his fairy friends), and was usually the one that needed patching up. It took months for them to be able to work together, despite their friendship having lasted almost a decade and a half now. Slowly but surely, they improved. They were able to take every monster that came at them, chipping precious seconds off of the time it took to defeat them. They became deadly effective, a well-oiled machine of fairies and Specialists that followed without question. The perfect soldiers.

More often than not, when they split, Farah was teamed with Ben or with Saul. She could honestly say she had no preference-- both men were selfless in their own way, and she had no fear or hesitation when it came to working with either of them. Working with Saul, however, sometimes became… distracting. They had fun working together, and would often laugh about their battles over dinner. Whenever she was around him, Farah couldn’t help but have her mind focused solely on him and on his movements. Her mind being elsewhere left her open to be attacked. Rosalind had noticed, because of course she had, and ever since then she’d been working with Ben.

Farah never worked with Andreas. And she’d never really asked Rosalind why, because she couldn’t really bring herself to care. They were friends, obviously, and had been for many years, but lately Andreas had seemed… off. They’d all seen him walking out of camp in the middle of the night as quietly as possible, only to return in the morning covered in burns and looking triumphantly for their commander. They’d all known about the fire Rosalind instilled in him, the purpose she gave him. And Farah wasn’t quite sure what to make of it just yet. She had a running theory that Rosalind needed one fairy and one Specialist to lead the teams that she was going to continue to build. And apparently she had decided that Farah and Andreas were the perfect options. All the mind fairy knew was that she was never paired with Andreas.

Except for today.

It was early in the morning, the forest still wet and foggy from the night before. After a few warm-up drills, they had split off into their assigned pairs. Saul’s eyes had met hers the moment that they’d been split. Before turning away from him, Farah shrugged, wanting him to know that she was just as confused as he was. She wished him and Ben luck before falling into step next to Andreas. She didn’t recognize any confusion or disdain on his face, just a sort of solemn determination. He wasn’t surprised to be working with her. Had Rosalind told him?

The simulation began, and Farah had little time to think. Fighting came naturally to her now, her senses tuned to perceive every movement both in front of and behind her. She couldn’t tell if the fight had been dormant in her all these years or if Rosalind had tapped into her power from the outside. Andreas fought similarly, but his style had been developed over the course of his entire life because of his father. They were both leaders, unafraid to take risks and step into territory that was unknown. When fighting together, they moved as one, the Specialist and the fairy swiftly taking down their simulated Burned One. 

“You’ve improved, Farah.” Andreas grinned at her, brushing his hair back and sheathing his sword. “Didn’t think you would be as sharp after training with Ben for this long.” The jab at their earth fairy friend struck a chord within her. Farah glared at him and was about to retort, but was interrupted by Rosalind approaching them.

“Well done, you two. Come. Let’s watch the others.”

They stood on top of a hill, overlooking the space where Saul and Ben were fighting. The two men were dirty and sweaty, as if the past few minutes had put them through hell. Saul was keeping the monster at bay while Ben extended his hands, eyes glowing a sharp green. Roots extended up from the ground, entangling themselves around the monster. All of a sudden, Ben cried out in surprise. Another Burned One had appeared behind him. Farah blinked, and realized that she had missed the dark, lumbering figures that were also present in the midst of their battle.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she counted. One, two… “Four?!” She said out loud, turning to look at Rosalind. “There’s only two of them. Why are they fighting four Burned Ones?”

“They were fighting five,” Rosalind said mildly, her eyes trained on the earth fairy below them. “Saul is managing himself impressively well. Poor Ben doesn’t seem to be able to handle this strain.” Farah bit her tongue as Andreas chuckled. She didn’t want to begin an argument now. The three of them stood watching as the Specialist and fairy continued to struggle in their battle.

Ben let out a shout of surprise as a Burned One leaped at him, cutting through the vine defenses he had put up. He was pushed down on the ground and laid there, still. Almost-unconscious groans of pain were the only sign he was still alive. Saul could only spare him a glance before he had to jump right back into action, the remaining Burned Ones approaching him quickly. The Specialist stumbled back but raised his sword to block blow after blow, impressively trying to maneuver his way into safety. But there was no safety until Rosalind called it off. 

“Andreas…” Rosalind began, her eyes trained on Saul. The younger man turned towards her, attentive and simply waiting for instructions. Farah wondered for a moment just how much he would do for the air fairy. “Go down and give Saul some assistance.” With no hesitation, Andreas drew his sword and set off.  
Farah watched him go and approach his best friend, jumping right into battle without a second thought. She was mesmerized for a moment watching them fight. Specialists were trained their entire lives to be soldiers-- they served virtually no other purpose but to defend the walls of Alfea, Solaria, or any place they called home. Saul and Andreas had been hand-picked by Rosalind because they had represented the best soldiers that Alfea could offer. The fact that they had been friends for decades helped in their fighting. She could see it in the way they moved around each other, metal clanging against scorched skin, bodies swiftly moving and spinning around each other. At one point, they had stood back to back. But even Specialists got tired, and Andreas had just finished his own difficult simulated battle. Farah could see them start to tire, Saul’s blocks and defensive move beginning to falter and Andreas’s swings and jabs getting shorter.

The Burned Ones were seemingly undefeatable. They had taken down two more in the few minutes, which was impressive enough, but there were still two of them left. Even from the top of the hill, Farah could hear the grunts and strains of her friends fighting below. And poor Ben still hadn’t moved from his spot on the ground. 

She felt her heart squeeze in her chest-- she needed to be down there. Her friends needed her. Farah took a step forward, nervously shifting where she stood. Her worry was starting to consume her, knowing that her-their mentor would not call it off until she was appeased. “Rosalind, we need to help them-”

“Now now…” Rosalind said, a warning tone creeping up in her voice. “Stay put. They need to work this out by themselves.” She didn’t spare the other woman a glance, but somehow Farah knew that she was being watched. If she tried anything to get to the Specialists, Rosalind would likely have her head. She knew the consequences of disobeying her. But her heart started beating faster as she watched the two Burned Ones approach the two men. This was impossible. She had so much faith in both Saul and Andreas, but they were exhausted and couldn’t take a monster each. Farah shifted where she stood, angling her body towards the fight as if ready to sprint. Rosalind noticed… because of course she did.

“Farah Dowling, you will not move from your place.”

Farah knew that tone. She decided she didn’t care.

“Like hell I won’t,” She almost hissed, surprising even herself with how angry the words sounded. She stepped away from the older woman, hesitating for only a moment before starting to run the longer but safer way down the sloping hill. Farah had only taken a few steps when she caught sight of Saul, fighting in front of her in the trees. His sword was bared in front of him, a gash on his forehead visibly bleeding. His eyes were focused on the monster in front of him, but he was blissfully unaware of the ones that were creeping up behind him.

Farah took a breath to scream at him, to let him know that they were running while caught in a trap. Just as she was about to shout his name, she suddenly felt all the air escape her lungs. Farah grabbed her own throat, desperately trying to inhale but only getting lightheaded. She whirled around to see Rosalind holding a hand in front of her, her eyes a shimmering blue. She was choking the mind fairy, who fell onto her knees while desperately trying to breathe.

“When did you become such a brat?” Rosalind asked mildly, as if Farah wasn’t turning paler in front of her by the moment. Farah looked up at her, her eyes wide and her heart beating faster than she could feel it. Was this really her plan all along? To dispose of them in a test? To send them all off on suicide missions and kill those who survived? Just as she was about to extend her own hand, the air suddenly returned to her lungs. Farah took in gulping breaths, coughing up the emptiness that had enveloped her lungs. Rosalind looked down at her, seeming almost disgusted by the younger woman’s need to breathe. But the battle in front of them had caught her attention.

Andreas let out a battle cry in a last-ditch effort to defeat the remaining Burned Ones. He swung at the monsters and ducked, but was hit in the back as he straightened up by one that he didn’t see coming. The man fell forward, his head hitting the floor hard. He didn’t get back up. Saul was pushed back by the two monsters, who converged on him. He looked up at where Rosalind and Farah had been standing, watching them. When he didn’t see them, his eyebrows furrowed. Was this part of the test as well? His thoughts were interrupted when a Burned One swiped at him, and he instinctively raised his sword to block. Another monster took the opportunity to grab at his midsection with its claws, causing Saul to let out a small shout of pain. The Burned One smashed him against a nearby tree (one of Rosalind’s favorite moves). The Specialist fell to the ground and didn’t move. 

Rosalind narrowed her eyes, clenching her fist. The simulated Burned Ones disappeared at the same moment Farah felt the breath stolen from her lungs again. She let out a strained gasp of pain, and the older fairy looked down at her in mild surprise. Almost if she hadn’t noticed she was doing it. Rosalind finally released her, a huff of disappointment and anger leaving her. Farah felt her head spin, grabbing her neck in pain. When had training gotten this deadly? Rosalind had inflicted small wounds on them before, but that was normally during personal combat training. Never before had she gone as far as to bring them all to the brink of death. Her thoughts were cut off by Rosalind speaking again. 

“Awful. The lot of you.” The air fairy spat, the corners of her mouth turned down in displeasure before she turned and just walked away. Farah immediately picked herself up, stumbling a little. Now that Rosalind was gone, she would allow herself to feel. She was terrified for her friends-- Ben who had apparently not moved from his position on the ground, Andreas and Saul that had been taken down by more Burned Ones that they could manage. If they were injured, it was up to her to help them. Fix them. And she had never been good with healing magic. Farah steadied herself as much as she could, her lungs still trying to catch up with her.

The world spun before her eyes as she stumbled down the little remaining hill, seeing the fuzzy outlines of Andreas and Saul laying on the ground. Unmoving. Her lungs were on fire, her chest still constricted, her heart in her throat as she finally reached Saul. Farah shakily cupped his cheek, tilting his head slightly to feel for a pulse. She felt like crying when she found one, steady and strong. He was alive. Through her bleary eyes, she scanned his body for visible wounds. Besides the gash on his forehead, he seemed to be alright. When she did a rudimentary scan with her magic, however, she felt tears in her eyes as she discovered a few broken ribs. His breathing seemed to be okay, though, so it was unlikely that his lungs had been punctured.

The mind fairy took a deep breath before carefully placing her hand on the uninjured side of Saul’s forehead. She couldn’t do much in terms of healing, but she recognized his pain even without reaching out with her magic. She would try to help him in any way she could. She had to. With a quick apology to Andreas, Farah focused her magic on transferring his pain to her. She let out a strangled noise from her hurting throat once she felt the full impact of his injuries. Her head radiated with pain, her hands were sore, and her chest felt like it had been stepped on multiple times. Even her forehead stung. Farah blinked away black dots from her vision, her trembling hands grabbing Saul’s. She pressed her lips to it, thankful that at least he was no longer feeling pain.

Her heart sputtered. The panic, lack of air, and overuse of her magic was starting to get to her. Farah could feel herself faltering, every sense in her body screaming at her in various levels of discomfort and pain. But she had to get Saul somewhere safe. And Andreas. And where was Ben? She thought she could hear his voice, but it was muffled, almost like she was underwater. Was he getting closer?

Farah’s eyes rolled back and she finally passed out, Ben’s shouts fading into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this got way longer than i thought it would. longest fic i've ever written. 
> 
> (quick dedication to the discord bc you fuel me <33)  
> (p.s i sure hope someone caught that line about trees... and Rosalind... and not-dead-in-season-2 Farah)


	2. The Argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the harsh training session, Farah wakes up in the greenhouse surrounded by the rest of her battalion. Tensions run high as Andreas just really wants to find out what happened, no matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy wow hello, it's been a sec. oops!
> 
> \- this took me way longer to write than i thought i would. i honestly struggled with getting this down. angst and arguments. i live it, i love it, i tried my best to write it. constructive criticism is very welcome, this chapter sorta just pulled me along for the ride lol  
> \- no betas, 1:30am writing.  
> \- apologies for my bad summaries  
> \- this is 3.5k words long. i have never written this much before. what.

She could hear their voices even from the other side of the greenhouse. Andreas, his tone teasing but a little tense, seemed to be refusing to take whatever elixir Ben was offering him. The bald man huffed in frustration multiple times, his voice low and almost solemn. Their little back and forth continued for several minutes, slowly getting louder, until Saul finally interjected. He hissed at both of them to be quiet-- their mentor was still around, apparently, and she had had enough of them to last the entire week. Besides, couldn’t they see Farah was still sleeping? They shouldn’t cause her any more pain. Andreas mumbled something under his breath (which she still wasn’t awake enough to hear) and then yelped in surprise as Ben apparently smacked him. They could leave when they were all together and conscious again. They should be attentive in case anything changes.

So it was ironic, really, when no one noticed her wake up.

Her head felt like it was full of pixies, stinging and screeching coming from all corners of her mind. She didn’t even want to think about testing her magic, not when the slightest twitch of her head sent awful, painful shivers down her aching body. As Farah took deep breaths to orient herself, she realized she was laying in a bed in the greenhouse. It smelled like the greenhouse, at least. They had set up a few makeshift cots as more and more soldiers began returning to Alfea, and Ben was instructed to heal them. (Luckily enough, it had proved worth it. The earth fairy was able to save countless soldiers, some years younger than they were). The mind fairy swallowed hard, wincing immediately when she felt her throat burn and clench up. She finally opened her eyes, glad that it seemed to be dark outside and that Ben still loved his flickering candles and dim lanterns. She slowly began to push herself up, the blanket that was tucked around her making a rustling sound.

Andreas was the first to perk his head up, his eyes finding her immediately. “Good evening, princess.” His sarcastic voice was a relief. He raised an eyebrow at her from where he sat, looking almost unbothered as Ben and Saul immediately looked up and moved over to the fairy.

“You’re awake.” Saul reached her first, laying a gentle hand on her back as she moved. He adjusted the blanket on her, and met her eyes with a pure mixture of relief and worry. “Any pain?” Ben added, as Saul helped her sit up. Farah hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly, and even that still sent a dull throb through her head. 

“Head. Sounds like an orchestra up there.” All of them seemed shocked at how throaty and hoarse her voice sounded, and Farah winced before rubbing her neck. “And throat.” Ben was already nodding at her, reaching over to fill a glass of water and grab a few vials. She took a moment to appreciate how he didn’t ask-- Burned Ones wouldn’t cause any damage to her throat, and he wasn’t aware of anything that had happened after he had passed out. But still, he let her keep the events of the training session to herself. For now, at least.

Farah was fully leaning against Saul, one of his arms wrapped around her as they sat on the cot. He took a moment to brush the hair out of her eyes. She didn’t have to bother using her magic to recognize his clear concern. Did he know what she had done? That the pain from his chest wound, his concussion, his sore hands, was all amplified in her? She wouldn’t put it past him to have figured it out, but then again, they had all been out cold. And that reminded her. “What happened? Where is…” She swallowed involuntarily, squeezing her eyes shut in brief pain. “How did we get here?”

“Well…” Ben handed her the water as Andreas moved closer to them, leaning back against the wall and looking at the ground silently. “I woke up first. I saw Andreas, and you and Saul. Rosalind… wasn’t there. I woke Andreas up first, then Saul, and we tried to wake you, but…” he trailed off as Saul spoke up.

“You were out cold. Wouldn’t wake up.” Saul spoke, his eyebrows knitted and eyes focused on her. “So we brought you back here. It’s been a whole day, Farah.” She exhaled quietly, taking a sip of the water. The cool liquid stung for a moment, but was soothing. She was handed another potion by Ben, and looked at it apprehensively. 

The healer half-rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem to be in the mood for joking, his voice a little stern. “It’ll help your pain. Just drink it.” With no further hesitance, she slowly tipped her head back and drank. The mind fairy shuddered, her Specialist rubbing her arm comfortingly. The pain in her body lessened, her head stopped ringing as loudly, and she said a quick mental thank you to whomever had taught Ben about potions. Then she rescinded those words when she realized who she was thanking.

“I’ll say what we’re all thinking,” Andreas spoke up suddenly, causing his teammates’ eyes to snap to him. “That training was a shitshow.” He was blunt, and there was something gleaming in his eyes that made Farah’s stomach twist.

Andreas had been pushing himself harder and harder with each training session and battle, following Rosalind’s orders with absolutely no hesitation. He had even been willing to jump into what seemed to be a losing fight just because their mentor had instructed him to. The mind fairy understood that-- really, she did-- but it made her wary. If a little misstep were to happen, even just the tiniest accident, Andreas would pore over every moment of the battle as it was described by other soldiers that were present or by their mentor herself (who never failed to express just how deeply disappointed she was in them if they failed). Farah could understand his dedication to doing well. The two of them had been the most competitive people in school, which is likely why they were handpicked by their headmistress. But as Rosalind’s methods became deadlier and the battles became more serious, Andreas seemed to be spiraling. She was worried.

“They were up against five Burned Ones, Andreas,” Farah said quietly, looking at the blond. “Two against five hardly seems fair.” She could feel it. There was a tension suddenly in the air, as if they all knew what Andreas really meant. Saul certainly seemed to. In the back of her mind, she felt his apprehension, his worry, his unwillingness to fight. She squeezed his hand, wanting to reassure him that they would be alright.

But Andreas spoke again. “I think,” he paused for a moment. “We would all benefit from seeing where we went wrong.” He crossed his arms against his chest, staring at each of his teammates for a moment. It wasn’t rare that Andreas asked for this. Usually, he and Rosalind would sit for hours discussing their training sessions, specific moves that he’d used and where he could improve. The rest of their battalion had endured similar sessions, but Andreas was the only one who truly engaged their mentor in conversation. Farah usually listened but nodded passively-- while she understood the importance of battle tactics and would certainly follow them, she was an instinctual fighter.

“And how exactly do you suggest we do that?” Saul raised an eyebrow, noticing the man’s tone just as Farah had. He’d been unnaturally quiet so far, and the mind fairy couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of her. Was he angry at her for taking his pain? For not saving him? She shook herself out of her reverie to look at Andreas again.

The Specialist took a moment to glance at Farah, then Ben, then a few potions that lay on the garden fairy’s experimental table in the greenhouse. “Rosalind mentioned that Ben had been looking at some memory potions. We could run an experiment-”

“Absolutely not.” Ben interrupted, looking almost shocked that Andreas had even remembered anything about the potions he’d been testing. “Those vials are still experimental for a reason, there’s no way we’re testing anything now.” When Andreas’s eyes narrowed slightly at him, Ben quickly turned his attention back to mindlessly cleaning up. It was Saul’s turn to cross his arms across his chest and stand up.

“You want to test potions that haven’t even been tried yet?” He asked his best friend incredulously, as if he hadn’t heard him correctly. “What would you even do with them?” The blond man’s gaze settled on Farah, who was still staring at him stonily. She thought she knew what his next words would be, but they still made a cold feeling erupt in her chest.

“I thought Farah could try taking them.”

A beat of silence passed before Saul and Ben both erupted in protest.

“Do you even _know_ what that could do-?”

“There’s no way we’re-”

“We’ll have time to run through it-”

“Andreas, she _just_ woke up, why don’t we-”

“Enough! Both of you!” The mind fairy interrupted the men, standing from the cot to move closer to Andreas, who had rolled his eyes at his friends’ arguments. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but this certainly wasn’t it. And she wasn’t in the mood to deal with this argument now, not with Saul’s emotions so clearly heightened and felt in the back of her mind. She was also ignoring the pulsating pain in her chest and head for now, but wasn’t sure how much longer she could.

“Farah, come on, you’re reasonable.” Andreas looked at her, almost willing her to see what he was asking. “You know I need to see what happened in that battle. If Rosalind is letting Ben keep it here, the potion can’t be extremely harmful. Why don’t you just try-”

“Andreas.” She said, holding up a hand. He fell silent, any chance of him pleading with her immediately dropping. Even the corners of his mouth seemed to tilt down as she continued, “I’m not going to be taking any sort of potion. If Ben says that it could be dangerous, we have to trust him. We can talk to Rosalind later.” Even those sentences made her throat burn with residual pain, and she swallowed heavily to try and cover it up.

The blond Specialist looked at each of his friends again, scoffing. “We actually can’t ask her later. She’s going off on a trip tonight to nobody-knows-where. So I guess we’ll just never know!” The last words were loud and sarcastic, and they made Farah involuntarily roll her eyes. He’d get over it.

As Andreas turned to wander around the tables, Farah thought for a moment. Rosalind was off on a trip? And she hadn’t told them all? Usually, she would at least tell Farah, if only to ensure that she continued with her studies while the older fairy was ogone. And it was odd that even Andreas didn’t seem to know where she was going. Could this all be part of the training session? Could it explain why they had been treated so harshly on that day? The mind fairy looked at Saul to ask him softly, but stopped as she saw him suddenly turn to the table Andreas’s gaze had been on.

The man stood in a relaxed stance with his back to them, looking over what she assumed were the potions that Rosalind was discussing and Ben was working with. Said garden fairy was looking at him with alarm, one hand stretched out as if wanting to grab the vials. Farah wasn’t sure what the effects of those potions would be, but she had a feeling it would end badly for Andreas and for all of them. She hoped Andreas wouldn’t be stupid enough to do something like this, not when he didn’t know magic. She took a step towards the man, and was closely followed by Saul. 

“Andreas, please, just put the vial down-”

“Andreas.” Ben said suddenly, his eyes focused on the blond Specialist. The man in question slowly turned to face him, his hands wrapped around a small liquid-filled vial. Saul’s grip on Farah’s hand tightened slightly. “Drop it. Now.”

Andreas hesitated for a moment, his surprise at seeing Ben so demanding, clearly visible on his face. It was replaced by a quick smirk. He scoffed, “What, this thing? I’ll only use it for a moment, Benny. No need to worry. It won’t even hurt.” As if showing how harmless the potion was, he slowly uncorked it. Ben clenched his fist. Farah felt his magic slowly start to gather, knowing that his emotions were heightened to a point of agitation. Andreas realized it too, his eyes widening. A thick sense of fear suddenly filled Farah, and she knew it wasn’t coming from her or from Saul. 

“Are you insane, Andreas? Look at her! You know that she might get hurt-”

Andreas raised an eyebrow almost nonchalantly. “I want to see where I went wrong. Where _we_ went wrong. And since our mentor isn’t here right now, she’s the only person who saw it!” His voice was getting louder as he got more frustrated. He fully turned to the two men, who had placed themselves half in front of their mind fairy friend.

“You’re not coming near her.” Saul said firmly, taking another step towards the blond Specialist. The offensive movement was clear, and Andreas’s eyes flickered down to the sword that was still sheathed at his best friend’s hip. Farah’s eyes followed, and her heart clenched just as pain rang through her head again. Would it come to a swordfight? It couldn’t. It wouldn’t.

God, she hated how much it seemed to cost Andreas to back down.

He wasn’t stupid, and they all knew it. No one was willing to fight-- not with Ben still half-wincing whenever he tilted his head or Andreas not using his or Saul’s fingers still numb and sore or Farah’s head still ringing-- and it would not come to that. He knew he was outnumbered, anyway. The Specialist was almost glowering at them as he put the vial down, raising his hands in mock surrender. But there was no sarcasm in him now, no witty smiles and winks like the man they had seen grow up and had learned to love. None of that was left in him now.

“I know the two of you are alright with failure,” he sent a seething glare towards Ben, and then Saul. “But I didn’t think you would let yourself disappoint her.” His gaze settled on Farah, their eyes locking on to each other. None of them moved. Andreas pursed his lips, almost like he wanted to say more. But he settled on a scoff, turning away from them.

The doors to the greenhouse slammed shut, and Farah was sure that if he’d pushed them any harder that they would shatter. The lanterns shook for a moment, then slowly swung back into position. The air stilled, as if waiting for the Specialist to return. Farah’s eyes flickered to Saul, who was staring at the recently closed door with more emotions in his eyes than she could register at the moment. She let out a shaky exhale, carefully placing her hand on his. She was more than relieved when he laced their fingers together, although his gaze remained firmly on the spot Andreas had just stormed off from.

“I didn’t mean to…” Ben said softly, his hands beginning to shake. Farah’s eyes met his, and she immediately moved towards him and wrapped him in a tight hug. His arms went around her after a moment’s hesitation. A silent understanding was passed between them, both of them being able to feel the magic that had previously gathered. Ben would’ve attacked. He would’ve done it for her. She could feel him almost grip onto her jacket, and even though he was an inch or so taller than her (she disagreed), the earth fairy seemed to almost furrow himself in her arms. She squeezed him for a moment. 

“Thank you for taking care of me,” the mind fairy whispered, “you did nothing wrong.” He squeezed her tighter, if that was possible. Farah looked up as she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her back, seeing Saul approaching cautiously to hug the two of them. She leaned her head on him, and the three of them stood there for a moment.

It would be foolish of them to deny that this had been going on for a while. Andreas had seemed to pull farther and farther away from them, and further and further into Rosalind and the war. It was all he ever spoke about anymore, all he ever cared about, even throughout his son’s birth (and subsequent birthdays) or even the birth of Ben’s second child. He’d slowly been becoming absent from their lives, no matter how hard they tried to pull him back. A ship slowly becoming unmoored, and lost in the great unstable sea of Rosalind. A sea that had once been warm and inviting. But like the training session revealed, turbulent waters were fast approaching. Farah shuddered at her own metaphor.

The three pulled away from each other, Ben not-so-inconspicuously rubbing some tears from his eyes. “I, uh- I better get home.” He swallowed heavily. ‘You two could stay in the greenhouse if you’d like, no need to traipse all the way back to your dorms. The big cots are fine.” He couldn’t help the little smug smile that grew on his face. Farah rolled her eyes.

“Thanks, mate.” Saul said, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze. The bald man smiled gratefully at him, then looked at Farah. 

“Will you be alright?” He asked, frowning a bit. While he’d provided her with the potions he could and had cleaned her up overnight, he recognized she was still in pain. But the mind fairy nodded anyways.

“I’ll take care of her.” Saul interjected quietly. “Promise.” With a raised eyebrow and small smile, Ben showed that he had no doubts with that statement. Farah felt a warmth grow in her chest, displacing the cold that had settled there earlier. 

“I’ll be fine, Ben. Send our love to Rose, Sam, and Terra.” A true smile grew on her face as she thought about the little family. She’d have to visit them again soon, once they were able to get away from the battle planning and endless fighting.

“Call me if anything goes wrong.” Ben said sternly. He gave his two friends a final, caring, grin before leaving the greenhouse.

The two were alone now, the moon high in the sky and the dim candles making Farah sleepy. She’d been awake less than an hour, but whatever potion Ben had given her earlier was beginning to wear off, and the aching in her head and chest had returned full force. She finally sat back at the cot, Saul beside her.

They’d always been able to communicate through silent gazes and touches, even before they’d become what they were. It was a part of their bond that came naturally to them, and even something that they used when in private. Saul was the one that had taken her hand this time, his thumb rubbing slow circles on the back of her hand. Farah leaned her head onto his shoulder, wondering if he was going to bring up the battle’s events with her now. Or whatever the hell had just happened with Andreas. But she was interrupted in her thoughts by a huge yawn, and one that (thankfully) made Saul laugh.

“You’re exhausted. Go to sleep, Farah. We can talk tomorrow.” He murmured, settling them more comfortably on the cot. Her head now lay on his chest, her body almost entirely on his. It was familiar. It was comforting. She looked at him for a moment longer, her tired eyes taking in the faint scratches on his face that were healing. He looked right back at her, eyes trailing over her features as he took all of her in.

She was so goddamn grateful for this man.

Farah didn’t need him to fight her battles. Both of them knew that. They knew she harnessed more power than even Rosalind knew what to do with, and they saw that daily in their training sessions and they had seen it in the classroom. She was a force to be reckoned with, he often said, and may the gods help anyone who crossed her path when she was angry. But she was so _tired_ , and more than willing to lie in his arms for just another moment. Maybe… it would be nice to be looked after for a second.

“Thank you.” Farah said quietly, nuzzling deeper into his chest. He hummed in response, shifting his arm around her to make her more comfortable.

The mind fairy tried to keep herself awake for just a few more moments as Saul pressed his lips to her hair, appreciating his warmth. Cozy in her Specialist’s arms, she finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (unexpected) third and final chapter coming soon!


End file.
